On-demand grocery delivery startup Instacart launches a new $1 million fund to boost and support black-owned CPG brands on its marketplace

It’s been a while since we last wrote about Instacart, a leading online grocery platform in North America that offers same-day delivery and pickup services to bring fresh groceries and everyday essentials to busy people and families across the U.S. and Canada.

Last Thursday, Instacart announced a $1 million fund to boost Black-owned consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands across its marketplace. As part of the new advertising initiative, Instacart will commit up to $1 million to amplify Black-owned CPG brands within the Instacart marketplace.

The fund marks Instacart’s first program designed to support emerging Black-owned brands directly within the Instacart marketplace by leveraging the company’s robust advertising products and services. Now, Instacart Ads offers self-service and managed ad services for more than 2,500 CPG brands of all sizes, helping them connect with customers in the digital aisles while online grocery shopping.

Through this new initiative, Instacart is offering Black-owned CPG brands the opportunity to reach a broader audience in the digital aisles with prominent advertising placement among millions of items available from the more than 600 national, regional and local retailers, and unique brand names featured on the Instacart marketplace. Eligible brands will receive Instacart Ads credits to use with the company’s flagship Featured Products offering throughout 2021. As part of the initiative, Instacart is also establishing new resources for brands, including a designated team focused on supporting participating brands and a monthly training series to ensure brands maximize the impact of their advertising campaigns.

“As the largest online grocery platform in North America, our marketplace features millions of products for customers to discover while they shop online from their favorite retailers. As our service grows, we believe Instacart has a unique opportunity to further amplify Black-owned and Black-led brand partners in the digital aisles,” said Seth Dallaire, Chief Revenue Officer at Instacart. “We want Instacart Ads to make a lasting impact on the CPG ecosystem by equipping emerging Black-owned brands with the tools, resources, and investment needed to excel in online grocery. This is just a first step as we continue to focus on delivering equitable outcomes for historically underrepresented entrepreneurs and brands and create more opportunities for more companies to flourish.”

Founded in 2012 by Apoorva Mehta (a former Amazon employee), Brandon Leonardo, and Max Mullen, the San Francisco, California-based Instacart is a grocery startup that offers same-day grocery delivery service. Instacart has quickly scaled to over 220 markets and partnered with retailers across North America, including popular national chains (Albertsons, Kroger, Costco, Loblaw) as well as local, regional grocers (Publix, Wegmans, Schnucks, H-E-B).